Indigo Blues Read Online Free Page B

my
iPod at home, we ride to school in silence. Well, silence for
the first minute, followed by Eli babble for the next five.
    I pull into reserved spot 143 just before the bell rings.
I used to think my parking spot was the coolest ever. I
requested this space at the end of sophomore year, even
before I had my license. Since 143 is the text code for
love, I thought it'd be so cool if I parked my car in the love
spot every day. I couldn't believe it when the school actually granted my request. They asked me to keep it on the
down-low because they've never had a request before and
didn't want to make a habit out of it. But when Shannon
Murphy graduated, I got her spot. My biggest mistake was
telling Adam about it. Now spot 143 is famous, too: the girl that drives into spot 143 every day, so eagerly. It wouldn't
be bad if that sentence stood alone, but it's followed by,
She screeches on her brakes, but it's too late, she's already run
over my heart. I cringe just thinking about that line.

    I slam my car door shut, say good-bye to Eli, and sprint
to class. One thing Adam's not going to do is make me late
for first-period English.
    "I've got the Indigo Blues," Jason Brine whispers as I
slide into the seat next to him.
    I roll my eyes.
    "Now to repair my soul, I've written this song about how
you just let me go."
    "Shut up. I mean it."
    I think he gets the picture, because he gets up to
sharpen his pencil.
    Luckily, we have an essay test and for the next fifty minutes the class is consumed with picking apart Romeo and
Juliet. Why does everything have to be about love?
    I just have to get through the next couple of days, until
another song hits number one and everyone can focus on
it instead. Hopefully it'll be something catchy that can be
hummed throughout the hallways to drown out "Indigo
Blues."
    At lunch I pick the shortest line. Unfortunately, I don't
have any classes with Tripp this year so I have to wait until
now to see him. He usually sits with his football buddies
and whoever any of them are dating at the time. Tripp's
been single since June, when Abby Ryan dumped him. She used the classic "I'm going off to college" speech and "I
need to spread my wings."

    An unconfirmed rumor has it that Tripp was devastated
for, like, a week until he went on a Caribbean cruise with
his family and supposedly screwed some Greek beautypageant winner. That's about as much information as I
need to know. I'm not into digging up peoples' pasts. I'm
all about moving on-something Adam apparently has no
idea how to do.
    I pay for my turkey sandwich and sit down next to
Lindsay Parks, a girl I've known since fourth-grade Girl
Scouts. Ever since freshman year, we've sat at the same lunch
table. Her mom was the troop leader and Lindsay had the
most badges. Over the years she moved on from accumulating badges to accumulating gymnastics trophies. The
whole bookshelf in her bedroom is filled with her accomplishments. Whenever my mom used to pick me up from
her house, Eli would charge up to Lindsay's room to count
her trophies. "There were thirty-seven, now there are thirtynine!" Eli never lost count. I haven't been to her house since
last spring. I wonder if she's up past forty by now.
    "How does it feel?" Lindsay asks.
    "How does what feel?" I scrunch my nose before I can
stop myself.
    "Yeah?" Cat slumps down in the seat across from her,
looking as perturbed as I am.
    Lindsay dips a carrot stick into a tiny Tupperware of
dressing and shakes it off. "Ripping someone's heart out."

    My mouth drops. Why did she have to put it like that?
I stare at Cat with my I can't believe it face.
    "That's harsh," Cat says.
    "That's what DJ Ripper said on 97.3 last night." Lindsay pulls another carrot out of her Ziploc.
    Remind me to boycott that radio station forever.
    "It's not what it seems." I unwrap my sandwich, but
don't continue to defend myself. Lindsay knows me, and
she should know I'd never hurt someone